This invention relates to a therapeutic combination of compounds to provide analgesic activity.
Surprisingly, we have discovered that olanzapine can be particularly useful for treating pain when used in combination with a Drug Useful in the Treatment of Pain. More specifically, the invention provides a method of synergistically treating pain in an animal using olanzapine in combination with a Drug Useful in the Treatment of Pain to provide a synergistic effect.
There are many Drugs Useful for the Treatment of Pain which are known in the literature and to the skilled artisan. Oral combinations of aspirin with codeine or other narcotic analgesics are known to provide additive analgesic effects in man. The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 5th edition, Macmillan Publishing Co., 1975, pp 325-358.
More active analgesic combinations are in constant demand because they offer the attractive possibility of relieving pain with reduced dosages, thereby diminishing the expected side effects and toxicity that would otherwise result from higher dosages. It would be particularly desirable to acquire a synergistic combination effect. Such a composition is the subject of the present invention.
It is known that olanzapine can provide antipsychotic activity and is now commercially available for the treatment of psychosis. Olanzapine is a known compound and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,382 as being useful for the treatment of schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, acute mania, mild anxiety states, and psychosis. U.S. Pat. No. 5,229,382 is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. Surprisingly, and in accordance with this invention, Applicants have discovered that olanzapine can be useful for the treatment of pain and can provide a synergistic effect when administered with one or more Drugs Useful in the Treatment of Pain. Olanzapine could address a long felt need for a safe and effective treatment for pain.